“I Think we’re Gonna need a Bigger Boat…”

So over the weekend Neil (The Cooler), Roo (8 Seconds or the Intern), and myself (Z will work for today). Went down to the Crossfit Football certification. It was a blast full of over eating, sprinting, lifting, drinking, stretching, and trips in the dirtiest elevator known to man kind. It all is worth a post on Old Country but while I was down there I got a text from my favorite little problem case.

“Hey Z! I just qualified for Pan Ams!”

What, Let’s rewind…

Nine months before I walk into the gym and hear some girl I know joined up. Hmmmm, I wonder who?

“Well her name rhymes with stamina, think she was making some kinda inappropriate joke out of it.”

Couple days later I run into Amina. “Hey! I know you, you dated so and so and I dated so and so.” Mystery solved.

Little did I now what I was getting myself into. She’d been crossfitting at other gyms and the way we did things was a little different. So she let me know some stuff….

“I have a back injury, and I get wheezy easy, and I’m a firefighter, my hand gets cold and numb, my lips turn blue, one legs longer then the other, I was home schooled, did I mention I was a firefighter, one ear is higher then the other, I like coffee, I may or may not need contacts, some times my ribs pop out and my shoulder is kinda jacked, you have pretty eyes…” (Ok maybe I added the last part but she was thinking it.)

Amina and I became fast friends she couldn’t do some stuff some times but she always tried… Or just did cleans. It wasn’t to long ago she came to me and told me she wanted to make a run at the FireFighter calendar. OH Boy…

I always support my athletes and especially my friends Amina is both and nothing made me prouder then when she text me that she had made it into that Calendar.

Well I thought nothing was gonna make me happier until I got this weekends text. I could fill you guys in on it but I asked Amina to do a little testimonial for me about it. Here it is from “Amina like Stamina’s ‘” mouth.

“Four years ago I qualified for and raced at the Pan American Championships in sprint canoe. That was what would be one of the last competitions I would participate in as a sprint canoeist. After training so hard for this event I found that injuries would prevent me from continuing to compete. As months of time off became years I found that coaching allowed me to stay involved in the sport. Here and there I would enter in a local race but faced the fact that canoeing wasn’t going to be my sport anymore.

9 months ago I joined West Seattle Crossfit. Not my first Crossfit, but the first Crossfit gym where I saw real results. I continued to guard my injuries while and when the caliber cycle was offered a couple of months ago I decided I was ready to give it a shot. I participated in six weeks of the cycle and for the first time was lifting weight overhead and doing things I never thought would be possible-and especially without feeling injured. After the CC we followed the Crossfit football daily wods. I knew I would be going to the National Championships in Canoe and Kayak this year with the team I assistant coach-I didn’t know I was also going as an athlete until a few weeks before the event. That’s what happens when your brother is head coach and does race entries.

After 3 days of 200m, 500m and 1000m races in singles, doubles and fours I walked away with 7 medals and a spot on the Pan American Canoe Team. I didn’t paddle my best or even close to my best. I felt unstable, had steering issues, my back hurt from the pain of kneeling in the boat and my form was embarrassing. I even had to scratch out of a 5k single event because I knew I wouldn’t be able to kneel in my canoe for that long of a period of time. However, with all those negatives occurring because of lack of time in the boat, I still beat every PR I’ve ever had in a canoe in my 200m and my 500m events. Crossfit gave the the strength to pull that boat and be right behind people that had been training endlessly and competing internationally and that felt pretty darn good. It should be interesting to see what happens when I combine Crossfit with time in the boat, I’m looking forward to rising to the challenge and representing CFWS at the 2010 Pan Am Champs in Mexico this fall.”

I know I give you a hard time every know and then girl (well you actually flip me a ton of shit), but I want you to know something. I am so very very proud of you. You walked into that thing without fear and that says a lot about you. You have that same fearlessness in you everyday job and how you look at most things in life. I’m very proud to be your Coach and your friend. Training starts next week…

Posted by: Z

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8 Responses to ““I Think we’re Gonna need a Bigger Boat…””

Stamina!!!
We all couldn’t be happier for you or prouder of your efforts in the gym & on the water.

Z has been awesome at ALWAYS (& I mean, A.L.W.A.Y.S.) finding ways to keep his athletes training despite injuries… coaching his athletes to “not lose a single step” and to still make some serious gains has been one of his greatest gifts to me.

But I do know that it takes the athlete’s mental fortitude, emotional strength, perseverance & sheer gut drive to execute what Z programs in the headwinds of diversity.

You have all that & I have no doubt in my mind that all of your efforts will payoff in a big way @ Pan Ams!

Congrats & Good Luck!
Nothing but the best from an honorary Chan Sister! 🙂

Thanks guys, it’s trying to keep up with all you studs that pushes me! It is seriously amazing what good things can happen when you least expect it. I’m not going to lie, I’m scared for what Zach has in store-but maybe that’s what I like so much about our gym. Besides, who doesn’t love surprises!